What do you feel when you see a picture of yourself from decades ago, that you'd never seen before?
In the last week, thanks to the magic of digital technology, I’ve been getting a rush of pictures of me and my family that I’d never seen before.
This one is from the mid 60s It’s actually a picture of all three of us girls. It was sent by a sister a few weeks ago. I just played with it to show the likeness to my son’s oldest daughter.
This one from 1970 was sent to my sister by one of her best friends yesterday. I’m the tall one in glasses. I had that dictionary until it literally fell apart. It is thanks to that dictionary that I developed a strong interest in linguistics. I sadly put it in the recycle bin last year.
This one, from 1971 was also sent to me by my other sister yesterday. I was 13 and had glasses and braces. God I was a goofy mess! It’s me and my 2 sisters and our 4 cousins when they came to visit us from the Pacific Northwest. The cousin that sent it to my sister is the kid on the left, petting the black and white dog. I’m standing up, with my arm around my other cousin…who is now a multi millionaire thanks to the lottery!
The black and white dog is ours. His name was Mulligan. Or maybe Duffer. I don’t know who the other dog is. Our dogs just ran free in our country neighborhood. They never, ever crossed the creek into town, even though the creek was less than 50 yards from the back of the house.
Mulligan got hit by the school bus one day, when it backed up to make the turn around our dirt road cul de sac. My sister, Becky, the one also petting the black and white dog, screamed at the bus driver, calling her a ”SHIT!!!” It was a sad day.
This one from 1975 was sent to me by my former best friend (who turned out to be a crazy person so I had to drop her from my friend’s list.) I look strikingly like my youngest daughter in this picture.
This somehow found it’s way to me a year or two ago.. The year would be 1975 or 76. I’m in the smoking area at the school. Not sure who took the picture and I have no idea how it made its way to me!
It makes my heart hurt to see these. I can remember the feeling of being so young and strong. I had my whole life ahead of me. But things just didn’t go the way I planned for them to go. It’s bittersweet.
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Usually, I think I looked pretty good and wish I was still that thin, and wish I still had that much hair, and wish they still made that color lipstick.
I usually laugh when I see an old photo of me. I am so thin before and I now I am a full-grown adult. I can’t believe that I wear green and blue eyeliner.
This is your heritage, the essence of who you really are, and you have likely passed this on in more ways than you know. You’ve shared enough about yourself that I can see that, and I wouldn’t expect your earlier years to be any different. Thanks for sharing.
I get similar feelings when I explore neighbourhoods and places that are a part of my past, especially those which have an entirely different, albeit lost, ambiance today.
I thought, “Wow, I forgot what my front yard looked like when it had all that ivy!”. I had the ivy removed in 1990, and I saw the photo about 3 or 4 years ago. I was also pleasantly surprised by my appearance.
@Dutchess_III
I noticed that this image is reversed. I still can’t figure out what the sign in the background says. Please DON’T tell me; I wanna see if I decipher it.
So far it looks like, ”—orl a Call”. I’m going to see if putting a mirror next to it will help.
The mirror reversed the image for me, but I still can’t decipher the lettering. If you remember what it says, please let me know.
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@Brian1946 The sign says “Port- O -Call” (As in, Port Of Call)
Did some body flag that asshat? I have to put my phone in desk top mode to flag and a hassle.
We lived in Florida then. Dad and Mom took us all over the place to experience things.
Stayed at lots of inexpensive motels. Only reqirement was that it had to have a pool. Lived in the pools there. I really don’t remember where we were @Brian1946.
My youngest granddaughters have an old pic of me sitting on their dresser that was taken about 75 or 76 at my sisters wedding. In one of those hidious
70 s tuxedos with the wider lapels and jazzed up shirts. Don’t know where they found it but one day it’s going in trash..
They also dredged up my old high school graduation picture. Pernicious little children. But bittersweet? Hell to the no. Anyway I’m happy to wake up breathing at my age.
Well. Welcome to Fluther!
Well TY if that was addressed To me.. Been a.member before but got angry and left after my pal Crow passed. Had a lot of acrimony at the time about things he’d allegedly done but what’s passed is passed.
I had a feeling you weren’t a newbie…
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It is more than just your younger appearance and having optimism and your future before you. It is the times as well.
The young people were more liberal in a healthy way for the times. People engaged each other more, in positive ways—unlike today, where most people are too videogenic and focusing on electronics and social media and computers. The Draft was over. We still had the Vietnam war going and fears of the Cold War, but we all believed that a new era of harmony and peace was dawning. Most young people felt safe and optimistic.
I am referring to the decade from the Summer of Love (1967) until the American Bicentennial (1976) right before Star Wars came out a year later, and before Home Computers.
Even if you don’t like the song, check out this Don McLean Castles in the Air video from the early 1970s—if only for the demeanor and expressions of the young teenagers in the audience. It was a different world back then.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0DXUWdWDtE
They say that if you remember the 70s weren’t there. Damn a whole decade of my life is missing.
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